The library’s Adult Spanish Language Class will begin meeting again on Tuesday, April 7 at 6:15pm.

This free weekly program offers adult learners an opportunity to develop and enhance their conversational Spanish skills in a fun, mixed-level class. Learn to express yourself in real life situations and improve your Spanish language skills for work, travel, or just for fun! Lessons include grammar and vocabulary as well as an introduction to arts and culture from different countries.

No registration is required. Contact Emily or Marie at 518-828-1792 for more information.

It’s never too late to apply for college! If you thought a higher education was out of your reach, think again. There are plenty of websites out there catered to helping you apply for aid of all kinds, from scholarships to grants to loans. Here are just a few of the online sources available to the public:

Hudson Opera House, located at 327 Warren Street in Hudson, will be holding a community forum on Education Options in the Hudson Area on Sunday, February 23rd from 2-5pm. Hudson Area Library will be one of the many local organizations to have a table at this event, and it is free and open to the public. The forum will include keynote speaker Michael Strong, educator and author, followed by the panel and a question and answer session. Reception and refreshments will follow. Child care activity for children ages 5 and up will be offered in the Hudson Opera House’s workshop room during the program. Please note that seating is limited. For more information, call 518-822-1438 or visit the Hudson Opera House website.

Trying to navigate today’s job market is tough. Luckily, the library has resources to make finding your new career easier! Just visit the Columbia County Job Resource Center and you’re on your way. Everything on this page is accessible for free; all you need to sign in is your library card barcode and PIN.

For your one stop job search needs, try JobNow, one of the sites available in the Resource Center. This database has links with useful tips and resources to help you start your job search, or to help you decide on a new career path. Once you find a position to apply to, JobNow gives you helpful hints on how to write a resume, complete with templates to get you started. If you have an upcoming interview, JobNow also offers live interview coaching!

If you’re looking to complete your education before applying to jobs, try both JobNow and the Gale Testing & Reference Center for practice tests, study help, and more. To browse current job openings in New York State, try Jobs Express through the NYS Department of Labor. And if you still have unanswered questions about your job search, check out Quick Answers for links to newspaper job listings, unemployment resources, and much more.

The Friends of the Hudson Area Library announces its Annual Meeting to be held on Thursday, April 18th at 6:00pm at the Library. The Friends are privileged to have Lisa Dolan as guest speaker that evening. She will be discussing children’s literacy and creating a culture of literacy in the community.

Lisa is the founder of Hudson Reads, a reading mentorship program in the Hudson City School District, as well as Literacy Coach for over three decades. She co-founded and co-directs the Hudson Children’s Book Festival, the largest book festival in New York State. Lisa is also an educational consultant for New York State, serves as a board member of Investments in Youth and writes a weekly book review for the Register Star.

This event is free and open to the public. All are welcome. Call the Hudson Area Library for more information at 518.828.1792 or visit us on Facebook at the Friends of the Hudson Area Library page and “Like” us.

No matter what tests you need to prepare for, there is a website to help you do it!

For Elementary/Intermediate Tests, the Office of State Assessments is the place to go for real examples of subject tests, scoring, and teacher directions from past years. The subjects provided are English Language Arts (ELA), Science, Mathematics, and Social Studies for grades 3-8.

For High School Regents Exams, the Office of State Assessments is also the place to go for examples of past exams and scoring keys. In addition to the subjects listed above, there are also examples of past exams for six foreign languages. You may also find the current testing schedule for the high school exams here.

For AP exams, College Board gives you information about AP courses, including what subjects are available, what careers are available per subject, and what to expect from the course and final exam. You may also find this year’s list of exam dates , including how to register for exams, information on fees, and more.

For SAT and SAT subject exams, CollegeBoard also can be used to practice for the test with free sample questions, full length exams, and official study guides. This site may also be used to register for the SAT and look up your scores after you take the test.

And don’t forget about the Testing and Education Reference Center that is available through the Reference page of the Hudson Area Library website. You can find practice tests and review for these exams, as well as many other exams, on this site. All you need is a library card to log in!

Whether you’re a high school student studying for the SAT or an adult who wants to learn the basics of computer programming, Khan Academy has the tools you need to succeed. Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization that provides educational services online free of charge to anyone willing to learn a new subject. All you need to do is sign up with your Google, Facebook or email account and you’re ready to start learning!

Some of the subjects available on their site are math, science and economics, computer science, and humanities. There is even test prep for the math section of the SAT, the GMAT, competition math, and more. Their database contains practice questions and answers, hints and help, as well as over 4000 instructional videos.

If you would like more sources for homework help, test prep and more, visit the Online Databases link listed under “Reference” on the Hudson Area Library homepage. Here you can find databases that you may use free with a library card, such as Mango Languages (for learning a new language), College Prep Tools (for free practice tests), and HomeAccess (for homework support, encyclopedias, magazines, newspapers, and just about everything else!)